The Undead (was:A Roleplaying thread? Surely fucking not!)

[One Horse Town]

How about we stop the navel gazing and talk about fucking games? Half the shit on the front page should be in game design.
:mad:

So. The undead. Shambling menace or honed killing machines? Do they need more of a rationalisation than 'dead come alive' or is that enough? Any funky stories about undead in your campaigns?

AFMBE has some good reasons why they have returned to 'life' what about traditional fantasy worlds. Any groovy reasons there?

[James McMurray]

For me, undead who are that way because they were too badass to die are best.

[One Horse Town]

For me, undead who are that way because they were too badass to die are best.

So not the 'don't realise they are dead' and more the 'i refuse to be dead'?

[beeber]

good idea!

"shambling menace" gets boring quickly, unless you can use the other "zombie movie" tropes, like limiting characters' movement, or hordes of "BRAIIINS!" bellowers.  "honed killing machines" is far scarier, IMO.  if some ancient spirit possesses your dead buddy, who knows what he can do?  is he faster, does he have his combat skills?  does he remember who you are, and try to play off that?

i haven't done any origin stuff, but then again i've only had undead in my fantasy stuff so far.  i'd love to try AFMBE or any of its variants.

[Reimdall]

I love the moment when the "I have a burning reason not to be dead" undead miss out on their revenge or see their special someone spurn them or discover their important trinket is gone forever... and then turn INTO unholy, mindless, badass, killing machine.

[beeber]

for those of you who have done "explained" undead (like in a modern setting), do you have an alternate means of dispatching the unliving, like some sort of chemical reaction?  or do you stick to the standards?  like dismemberment. . . .

[Brantai]

Fantasy setting anti-trope: All citizens have a civic responsibility to be zombified after death in order to protect the kingdom/city/mage's guild/etc.

[Caesar Slaad]

for those of you who have done "explained" undead (like in a modern setting), do you have an alternate means of dispatching the unliving, like some sort of chemical reaction?  or do you stick to the standards?  like dismemberment. . . .

I'm pretty well indoctrinated into the D&D standard "dark necromancy" or "negative energy" thing... and despite it's overuse, I do think for many purposes this can remain tres cool.

However, I picked up Blood & Brains by RPG Objects at one point and I'm receptive to alternatives. I don't really pay too much attention to the zombie genre in film and books, but for the purposes of the game, I think alternatives such a quest style curses (shall stalk the earth until all members of the knighthood are slain), chemical and diseases have good potential in terms of story and/or consistency with the feel of the setting. Frex, if I have a setting where there is nary a wink of the supernatural, it makes more sense to pick the disease alternative than the "Hell is closed for repairs" take.

[One Horse Town]

Fantasy setting anti-trope: All citizens have a civic responsibility to be zombified after death in order to protect the kingdom/city/mage's guild/etc.

That's an interesting one. In theory, the walking dead will soon outnumber the living, by some margin.

[beeber]

Fantasy setting anti-trope: All citizens have a civic responsibility to be zombified after death in order to protect the kingdom/city/mage's guild/etc.

that's similar to Hollowfaust, yes?

fantastic use of undead!

[Caesar Slaad]

Fantasy setting anti-trope: All citizens have a civic responsibility to be zombified after death in order to protect the kingdom/city/mage's guild/etc.

The Hollowfaust setting book for Scarred Lands does this. :cool:

[Brantai]

That's an interesting one. In theory, the walking dead will soon outnumber the living, by some margin.

That's why they're having so many wars!

Also, never read Hollowfaust, but now I might have to.

[One Horse Town]

The old staple of the refined, noble and cultered undead creature in the mould of Dracula is probably a common feature in my games. Dunno why really. I guess that you can only use so many shamblers. Then again, the cultered undead dude gets tired just as easily, i guess.

[Caesar Slaad]

How about the middle class undead? You know, regular old working stiff. :haw:

[beeber]

How about the middle class undead? You know, regular old working stiff. :haw:

ack! :eek:

isn't there an upper-class dead thing from libris mortis, the necropolitan, or  the like?

i've always liked the plague-like nature of undeath.  all it takes is a few undetected kills to really start throwing things out of whack.  had a necromancer off a player's village (and mom, of course), good for a couple of sessions, but they wandered off in a different direction before we could explore it further